Rick Klein, Ken Klukowski, Larry Kudlow and guest host Jessie Jane Duff joined WMAL on Tuesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Jessie Jane Duff

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C   Pro-Trump boycott calls follow Super Bowl ads. The Super Bowl was full of ads with strong messages about inclusion and acceptance. And that didn’t go over well with everyone on social media. Some supporters of President Trump quickly called for boycotts of several companies, including Budweiser, 84 Lumber, Coca-Cola (KO), Airbnb, Kia and Tiffany (TIF). Their ads had messages about immigration, equality and environmentalism. Even the NFL drew calls for a boycott for having Lady Gaga as the halftime show performer. She has called Trump a bully, and she supported Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign. 84 Lumber’s commercial was seen as largely pro-immigration. It featured a Hispanic mother and daughter setting out on a harrowing journey from their home.

5am – D         DeVos Nomination Faces Vote: The Senate is scheduled to vote on Tuesday on the highly contentious nomination of Betsy DeVos as education secretary.

• DeVos confirmation vote is a nail-biter: The Senate is scheduled to vote on whether to confirm Ms. DeVos as education secretary on Tuesday, in a nail-biting finish that may require a tiebreaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, announced last week that they would join Democrats in blocking her. The vote will follow what has become, in effect, a congressional staring contest over Mr. Trump’s cabinet nominations, threatening a week of round-the-clock votes until four of his picks are confirmed. Democrats employed every procedural tool to slow the process, and Republicans leaders said they would simply keep the Senate in session until a few key individuals were approved: Ms. DeVos, Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama for attorney general, Representative Tom Price of Georgia for secretary of Health and Human Services and Steven T. Mnuchin for Treasury secretary.

5am – E         Vizio To Pay Millions After Secretly Spying On Customers, Selling Viewer Data. “Consumers didn’t know that while they were watching their TVs, Vizio was watching them.” Vizio has agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle a lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission after the television manufacturer was caught gathering customer data without permission for years. According to a complaint filed by the FTC and the attorney general of New Jersey, Vizio began making TVs in 2014 that automatically tracked what people were watching. Older devices were retrofitted remotely through software updates, and all of the data was gathered without telling consumers and without their consent.  Vizio eventually accumulated “as many as 100 billion data points a day from millions of TVs,” which it then sold to advertisers. “Consumers didn’t know that while they were watching their TVs, Vizio was watching them,” the FTC wrote in a blog post following the settlement. The FTC detailed how the electronics giant used hidden tracking software to spy on its customers:

6am – A/B/C WHCD Boycott: Will Donald Trump Dine With The Enemy? (Daily Caller) — There’s chatter that President Trump may bail on Washington’s glitziest dinner of the year. But if he does, would anyone miss him? And why would he miss a chance to skewer the constituents he hates most: the media — the “most dishonest” people on Earth. Or, as Trump’s man whisperer Steve Bannon puts it: The Opposition Party. Journalists around town are deeply divided on the subject. And not by political ideology. Some think the White House Correspondents’ Association should suck it up and invite Trump. Others say Trump should come and not be a wimp about raising scholarship money for budding journalists. And still others insist that Trump attending the dinner is a big mistake.

6am – D/E     Appeals court sets Tuesday hearing to rule on Trump’s travel ban. (USA Today) – President Trump’s temporary travel ban faces a federal appeals court hearing Tuesday that will decide whether it can be reinstated or remain on hold. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco announced late Monday that it will hold a hearing at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday on Trump’s Jan. 27 order, which suspends the U.S. refugee program for 120 days and bans travel from seven majority-Muslim countries for at least 90 days. Each side will have 30 minutes to make its case. Whatever the court decides, the legal battle will be far from over in a case that could end up being decided by the Supreme Court. The appeals court is only deciding whether to uphold a temporary restraining order issued by a Seattle judge, while a separate series of court hearings will decide later whether Trump’s order is legal.

6am – E         National Zoo Releases Schedule for Bao Bao’s Final Days: WASHINGTON — (WMAL) The Smithsonian’s National Zoo released a schedule for giant panda Bao Bao’s final few weeks at the zoo before she returns to China February 21. There will be a host of goodbye and panda-cam viewing events from February 16 to 20.

6am – F         Texas Rangers join search for Tom Brady’s missing jersey. (CNN) The Texas Rangers, who’ve chased outlaws and scalawags by horse and car, are searching for the person who swiped New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s Super Bowl game jersey. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Monday that he has called in the storied Rangers to help Houston police track down Brady’s jersey, which vanished after Brady led his team to victory on Sunday in the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, CNN affiliate KTRK-TV reported. In the locker room, Brady quickly noticed his No. 12 jersey was missing after the game at NRG stadium in Houston. Brady said he had put it in his bag. “In Texas we place a very high value on hospitality and football. Tom Brady’s jersey has great historical value and is already being called ‘the most valuable NFL collectable ever.’ It will likely go into the Hall of Fame one day,” Patrick said in a press release. “It is important that history does not record that it was stolen in Texas.”

7am – A         INTERVIEW – RICK KLEIN – ABC News’ Political Director

• DeVos confirmation vote is a nail-biter: The Senate is scheduled to vote on whether to confirm Ms. DeVos as education secretary on Tuesday, in a nail-biting finish that may require a tiebreaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, announced last week that they would join Democrats in blocking her. The vote will follow what has become, in effect, a congressional staring contest over Mr. Trump’s cabinet nominations, threatening a week of round-the-clock votes until four of his picks are confirmed. Democrats employed every procedural tool to slow the process, and Republicans leaders said they would simply keep the Senate in session until a few key individuals were approved: Ms. DeVos, Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama for attorney general, Representative Tom Price of Georgia for secretary of Health and Human Services and Steven T. Mnuchin for Treasury secretary.

7am – B         Howard County Council Approves ‘Sanctuary’ Status. But county executive appears likely to veto the measure. Legislators in Howard County, Maryland on Monday evening approved a bill granting ‘sanctuary’-style protections to undocumented residents of the county, but the measure appears unlikely to become law. The Democratic-majority Howard County Council voted 3-2 in favor of a bill that would bar discrimination based on citizenship. It would keep county employees, including police, from asking about immigration status, and limit their role in enforcing federal immigration laws. But the bill did not get the four votes necessary to override a likely veto from the Republican county executive Allan H. Kittleman.

7am – C         Wizards come up just short in epic overtime battle against the Cavaliers. (Washington Post) – Over the past two months, the Washington Wizards have fortified their regular season with a devotion to team basketball, a growing fondness of defense and a grasp so tight on their home court that no opponent could undo it. On Monday night, this foundation proved to be so strong that only an otherworldly shot from LeBron James and a dagger from Kyrie Irving could send cracks through it. The Wizards fell, 140-135, in overtime to the reigning champion Cleveland Cavaliers, an epic game fit for the playoffs but played in early February. The loss ended the team’s 17-game home winning streak, but out of the rubble, the Wizards (30-21) earned respect. “A lot of people respect the effort we gave,” Wizards guard John Wall said, his adrenaline still high from almost 45 minutes of nonstop action, “and it was probably one of the best games of the year.”

7am – D         INTERVIEW – KEN KLUKOWSKI – Legal Editor, Breitbart News

• Appeals court sets Tuesday hearing to rule on Trump’s travel ban. (USA Today) — President Trump’s temporary travel ban faces a federal appeals court hearing Tuesday that will decide whether it can be reinstated or remain on hold. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco announced late Monday that it will hold a hearing at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday on Trump’s Jan. 27 order, which suspends the U.S. refugee program for 120 days and bans travel from seven majority-Muslim countries for at least 90 days. Each side will have 30 minutes to make its case. Whatever the court decides, the legal battle will be far from over in a case that could end up being decided by the Supreme Court. The appeals court is only deciding whether to uphold a temporary restraining order issued by a Seattle judge, while a separate series of court hearings will decide later whether Trump’s order is legal.

7am – E         Harambe-shaped Flamin’ Hot Cheeto selling on eBay for nearly $100G. (Fox News) — The obsession with Harambe peaked Monday after an eBay user claims to have found a Flamin’ Hot Cheeto in the shape of the gorilla that was killed at the Cincinnati Zoo last year. Valuestampsinc, a Burbank, Calif. user, is selling the snack piece. The initial bidding started at a modest $11.99, but as of early Tuesday the bidding had increased to $99,700. The user explained in the description how they found the “one of a kind” item. “I opened up a bag of Flamin Hot Cheetos and as soon as I looked inside I came across this unique Cheetos that looks like Harambe the gorilla,” the description reads. “This item up for bid is only for this unique Cheetos, bag not included. This makes a great collectible for anyone who appreciates rare items.” According to USA Today, the item sparked imitators as a listing for “Harambe Gorilla Poop” popped up on the auction site. Harambe was killed by officials at the Cincinnati Zoo after a 3-year-old boy fell into its enclosure. The incident sparked outrage online and started a internet meme trend.

8am – A/B     DC, MD Lawmakers Look to Head Off Public “Fleecing” For New Redskins Stadium. WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Two lawmakers, one from the District and one from Maryland, are looking to even the playing field in the competition over a new Redskins stadium by preventing either jurisdiction from offering Redskins owner Dan Snyder public tax dollars to fund a new stadium. “I’m here today because I’m trying to head off a fleecing of the region’s tax payers by Dan Snyder and the Washington football team,” Maryland Delegate David Moon (D-Takoma Park) told reporters. “Too often these new sports stadiums create a zero-sum race to the bottom where states bid millions of dollars against each other to lure a team.” Both Moon and D.C. Councilmember David Grosso characterized the proposed compact as a way to keep the wooing process fair and equitable. “Working across state lines on this issue is vital to ensure one state does not secure a competitive advantage over another in negotiations with the Washington football team,” Grosso said. They have reached out to Virginia lawmakers interested in signing on and have received interest, Grosso said. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has also said he also opposes using public money to build a stadium. Recent public investment in stadiums, especially in football which only sees 8-12 events a year, has not worked out well, Moon said. “There is endless literature showing what a terrible return on investment governments get when using public dollars for stadiums,” Moon said.

8am – C         Omarosa and her bridesmaids went shopping — and an ugly, political scene erupted. (Washington Post) — On Saturday, Omarosa Manigault, a White House communications director, was spotted at the posh Tyson’s Corner Center in Virginia, shopping for bridesmaids’s dresses. The former “Apprentice” villain, who announced her engagement to Florida pastor John Allen Newman last summer and will appear in an episode of TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress,” was with a cohort of five bridesmaids. But not everyone happily perusing the shops at the high-end mall was a member of Team Omarosa. At around 6 p.m. Manigault told Nordstrom employees that two unidentified women had been harassing her, according to a tipster who witnessed the incident. “These fat ladies won’t stop following me,” our source recalled Manigault telling staffers in the department store’s cosmetics section. The situation escalated from there. “They were letting her have it,” added the tipster, who was also in the cosmetics section at the time. One of the women allegedly shouted “Trump’s whore” at Manigault, who in 2004 starred on the debut season of “Apprentice” and joined Trump’s political campaign as the head of African American outreach last summer. Manigault, an ordained minister once dubbed “the most hated reality star of all time,” asked that security be called. Nordstrom’s “loss prevention” team (retail parlance for security) promptly responded and attempted to de-escalate the situation which, according to our source, was witnessed by about a dozen onlookers.

8am – D         INTERVIEW —  LARRY KUDLOW – CNBC Senior Contributor and host of The Larry Kudlow Show on WMAL Saturdays at 7 pm and author of “JFK and the Reagan Revolution: A Secret History of American Prosperity”

• DeVos confirmation vote is a nail-biter. The Senate is scheduled to vote on whether to confirm Ms. DeVos as education secretary on Tuesday, in a nail-biting finish that may require a tiebreaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, announced last week that they would join Democrats in blocking her. The vote will follow what has become, in effect, a congressional staring contest over Mr. Trump’s cabinet nominations, threatening a week of round-the-clock votes until four of his picks are confirmed.
• Trump, GOP Lawmakers Back Off From Immediate Obamacare Repeal. During the campaign, Trump promised to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act immediately upon taking office. Last month, in an interview with The Washington Post, he said he had a replacement law “very much formulated down to the final strokes.” But on Sunday, he dialed back those expectations in an interview with Fox News. “It’s in the process and maybe it will take till sometime into next year, but we are certainly going to be in the process. It’s very complicated,” Trump said. He repeated his claim that Obamacare has been “a disaster” and said his replacement would be a “wonderful plan” that would take time “statutorily” to put in place. And then he hedged the timing again. “I would like to say by the end of the year, at least the rudiments,” he said.

8am – E         The movie ‘Wayne’s World’ is now 25 years old. (USA Today) — Ex-queeze me?! Believe it or not: Oddball comedy Wayne’s World made its debut on the big screen 25 years ago. The movie, adapted from the Saturday Night Live sketches with Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers), the enthusiastic host of a public access cable show from his parents’ couch, and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey), his socially inept and genius sidekick, went on to surpass $100 million at the box office and develop a cult following. To celebrate the anniversary, more than 400 theaters are showing the movie Tuesday and Wednesday (tickets: WaynesWorld25.com).